Coconut Oil

For several years now, I have been hearing a buzz about a new ‘health food’ product, Coconut Oil. My brother, who had been diagnosed with cancer, was advised by his nutritionist to use only this particular oil for its health benefits. For those of you who don’t know, Coconut Oil is a solid, white, ‘Crisco-looking’ substance. When I first saw a jar of Coconut Oil, I couldn’t help but wonder how a human body could benefit from something that was that solid at room temperature. It turns out, my hunch was right. This is not a ‘health’ food!

Back in February, I took a nutrition seminar put on by The McDougall Program, called the McDougall Advanced Study Weekend. Dr. John McDougall promotes a plant-based diet primarily for health reasons. There, I was introduced to a highly educated and very entertaining speaker, Jeff Novick. Jeff has lots of degrees and titles next to his name: MS, RD, LD, and LN, and he’s a stand up comedian too!

One of the topics that Jeff discussed was the nutritional advantages and disadvantages of oils in the diet. Here are the conclusions he presented in regards to Coconut Oil. This excerpt is taken from his newsletter dated April 10, 2008:

1) Coconut oil has virtually NO nutritional value. It has not protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, or fiber.
2) Like all oils, coconut oil is pure fat. Of the fat in coconut oil, over 90% is saturated fat.
3) All oils, including coconut oil, are the most calorie dense food on the planet.
4) While there may be a rare example of some healthy and fit native population that managed to be healthy in spite of their consumption of coconut, this does not make coconut oil into a health food, or a food that Americans should consume with complete abandon as part of their already unhealthy American lifestyles. The coconuts may have been the only risk factor in the otherwise healthy lifestyle of these native populations. However, recent studies have shown the harmful effects of even one high fat meal when the fat comes from coconut oil.
5) While it is true that coconut oil may have some antimicrobial properties, this is not why we consume food, especially one that has so many other negative aspects to it. Remember, our main nutritional and health problems are not bacteria, microbes and infections, but being overfed and undernourished with too many calories and too few nutrients and the resulting weight and lifestyle related diseases. Coconut oil, which is extremely high in calories and void of any nutrients, only makes this already unhealthy situation worse.
6) You are welcome to add all the coconut and/or coconut oil you would like to you diet, on one condition; you keep the total amount of saturated fat in your diet below 7% of your total calories (with below 5% being optimal). :)
Bottom line?
Don't Go Cuckoo Over Coconut Oil!

Check out Jeff Novick’s article for the complete story:
Coconut Oil